


Just Like a Fairy Story

by lyraonyx



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angels, Bottom Severus Snape, Creature Fic, Fae & Fairies, Fae Magic, Fairy Tale Elements, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Humor, Implied Mpreg, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:27:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24733894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lyraonyx/pseuds/lyraonyx
Summary: After ten years of trying to live without Severus, Harry is forced to return to him for the sake of his friends. Hermione is dying, and Severus is her last hope. Severus offers him a deal, fearful it will tear them apart forever, but Harry has a solution that gives everyone a happy ending.Based on the snippet floating about the net of a fae asking for a woman's firstborn in return for her mother's life and being very, very surprised by her interpretation of his demands.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Severus Snape
Comments: 62
Kudos: 562





	Just Like a Fairy Story

#  **Just Like a Fairy Story**

Hermione was dying. Harry had sought out all the best healers, determined to save the life of his sister-by-choice and unborn goddaughter. He had gone to the ends of the earth and all but drained his inheritance vault to pay for her care while he searched, but every time, the answer was the same.

"I'm sorry, Lord Potter. There is nothing to be done."

He had just one option left, one last hail Mary before even his indomitable spirit gave up hope. He had little faith it would work—what could a potions master do that all the best medical experts couldn't?

Asking, too, would hurt like hell. He would die a little inside at the end of the day even if Severus _did_ have some miracle cure up his sleeve, but damn it, this was _Hermione_! That was Harry's sister lying pale and unresponsive in her hospital bed at St. Mungo's, and if saving her meant sacrificing his own well-being and a portion of his sanity, then so be it.

Nothing mattered more than the lives of his loved ones. Even if he had to sell half his soul to save hers, it would be worth it, in the end.

Harry gathered his courage and made his way up the familiar path to Hogwarts. The school hadn't changed much since the battle. Hagrid and the students had done a brilliant job repairing the place while Harry had haunted St. Mungo's and struggled to bring the broken bits of himself into a cohesive whole.

He had found himself in those dark days. Found himself and lost his heart.

Ten years later, he had never gotten it back.

He had grown accustomed to the ache of unrequited love, and yet, he trembled at the thought of seeing the man who had rocked everything in him and made him into a new person.

The man who hadn't wanted him then, and who surely wouldn't now.

Harry took a shuddering breath and stepped up to the gargoyle. His broken heart had nothing to do with this. He had come for Hermione and his niece. For Ron. For Molly and Arthur. 

No. This had nothing to do with him. At least Severus had given him permission to meet with him and owled him the password. 

He would have to be content with that.

" _Honoris_."

The gargoyle sprung back, and Harry forced his shaking legs onto the stairs. _'Hold on, 'Mione. I won't give up.'_

Even if Severus was his absolute last hope. 

* * *

Severus sensed the turmoil in the boy's aura long before he reached the stairs. Merlin, he understood too well what it meant to fight for his best friend's life and lose her anyway. For that reason, he hadn't been able to deny Harry's request for a meeting despite his better judgment warning him against it. 

This meeting would not end well, he feared. 

The dread in Harry's aura came as no surprise, but the thread of resignation and lonely sorrow buried deep within the boy's core shocked him. Oh, no. It couldn't be.

How could Harry still love him?

No. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Severus had turned him away to give him a _chance_ , damn it, not condemn him to years of heartbreak. 

He had seen the stories showing Harry with a new person each week after that day and had assumed it meant what he had always suspected: Harry's love for him was fleeting and based on hero worship. It had hurt like hell, too, but Severus had buried it like he did every other secret pain and went on. He had told himself then it was for the better. Eventually Harry would find happiness with one of his flavours of the week, and Severus had grown used to being alone. 

He had told himself he had done Harry a favour by denying him, that he had offered him a choice of a happier mate, of a better life than one at the side of a man the world hated, a man who had secrets to protect and upon whom love had left too many scars behind. 

Apparently, he had been wrong.

Damn it, Harry was supposed to be married with two and a half children by now, not still pining over Severus ten years later. It boggled the mind.

Who had ever _wanted_ him, after all?

A knock sounded, and Severus dragged his wayward emotions back under control. He hadn't expected this, but he would find a way to cope. He always had.

"Enter."

Harry stepped inside and searched him out. Severus stood stoic behind his desk, waiting for the tell-tale signs of disappointment to flood his senses. Harry had clearly romantisised him, his mind filling in the gaps and softening Severus' hard edges after ten years apart. No doubt, Harry would find the truth of his guise failed to live up to the ideal, but Severus was no Byronic hero, and the sooner Harry realised that, the better. 

But, again, Harry surprised him.

Severus stood frozen as bright green eyes tracked down the length of his body and back up. Harry's eyes went wide and dark. His throat bobbed, and Severus breathed in sharply at a simultaneous wave of fiery heat and icy pain. 

Harry still wanted him. _Damn_.

"I…." Harry's eyes closed and his fists clenched. "Thanks for meeting me, Headmaster. I… just… thank you."

Severus watched the boy steel himself against his love and desire, neither of which had dimmed in the least, and something in him cracked.

Gods, he hadn't meant to hurt him like this.

No matter why Harry had come, he would do everything in his power to help him. Much as his mind cried out in disbelief, his senses told him plainly that he had ten years of pain to make up to this devoted, brokenhearted young man.

"Auror Potter." Severus' voice came out softer than usual, a gentle, resonant bass rather than his usual businesslike demeanour. "You seemed quite desperate in your letter. What is it you wish of me?"

Harry's eyes filled with shock at his tone and respectful address. Deep pain and longing rushed in after, but he blinked it back and faced Severus with all the hard-edged bravery of a head auror and soldier.

"I… please call me Harry, sir. And I'm sure you can surmise why I've come."

Honestly, Severus had no idea.

"I'm afraid I do not know why you wanted to see me today, Harry, but…." Severus watched Harry's eyes, hoping he still had the power to make that hard mask fade. To heal what he had broken. "You may call me Severus."

Harry's breath hitched. He jerked his face into a nod and turned his head away. When he looked up again, his eyes shone too bright, but all evidence of tears and emotion had vanished.

Pity. Severus wanted to see the real man behind those eyes.

Then again, he had never let Harry see behind his own masks, had he? Maybe he should make a start of it.

At least with those masks he could safely remove.

Severus swallowed a sudden surge of foreboding and waved Harry into a chair. "Sit, Harry, and tell me what the trouble is."

Harry's cheeks flushed pink, and his aura went yellow with confusion and fear, but all Severus saw on the surface was a firm nod. 

Harry perched on the edge of his chair, every nerve taut and hands shaking. "You must have heard of Hermione's illness."

Severus closed his eyes, honest grief heavy in his chest. Julin-Bales Syndrome. A sinister disease in which a foetus' magical core drew its sustenance for its life from the mother's own with far too much ferocity. The disease almost always ended in the death of both mother and child, and no cure or treatment existed. Not even aborting the fetus would save the mother due to the intricate weaving of their magic. It was a devastating blow to a man who had already lost too much.

Severus reached out and cradled Harry's shaking hand in his own. Harry froze, aura ringing with shock and blood churning with fear and desire.

"I have heard. I am sorry, Harry."

Harry gasped out, "S-sir?"

"I did ask you to call me Severus, did I not?" Severus gave him a slight teasing smile.

Harry glared and jerked his hand away, fury boiling just below his skin. The power and suddenness of it left Severus reeling.

"So. That's why you gave me the password. I should have realised you would only toy with me. 'That desperate for me, are you, Potter?' The power you have over me, knowing you don't even have to try to hurt me down to my soul anymore, it must be so _intoxicating_." 

He jerked to his feet with a bitter laugh and made to storm out, but a wave of terror and grief forced him still at the door. 

"Well, go on then." His voice came out flat and despairing. "Go on. Have your fun. Take the mickey, make me bleed. I knew I would bleed before I left here today anyway. I hadn't imagined it would hurt _this_ much, but so be it. I didn't come here for myself." As he dragged himself around to face Severus again, he whispered a repetition of his final words as if it had become a mantra. "I didn't come here for myself."

Severus stood, shaking under the force of Harry's anger and the sacrificial pain coursing through him. Shite. He truly had been a bastard if Harry would believe him capable of _that_.

Well. This certainly left no doubt in Severus' mind as to why he hadn't seen so much of a glimpse of the head auror outside of the press. 

Damn. This would be harder than he had thought. Well, it was his own fault. He shouldn't have expected to heal seven years of trauma and ten years of distance with the rights to his name and the brush of a hand, in retrospect. This would take much more careful handling.

Severus sighed and stepped closer, hands out in a gesture of surrender. "Harry, I have no intention of using you so badly. I only intended to offer solace."

"B-bollocks." Harry took a step back, shaking all over and eyes wet. "You saw it when I walked in, didn't you? That nothing has changed for me, and—" He flinched and turned his face away. "Go on then. Maybe I deserve for you to have a go at me. It might make up for my dad a little…."

His _father_? Merlin. It had been thirty years. No, that grudge had died long ago.

"Harry…." Severus moved to stand in front of him and guided Harry's face around. "Look at me."

Harry jolted as if struck and shuddered. Severus cursed himself. Damn. He hadn't meant to subject the boy to what was clearly a traumatic memory all over again.

"Harry." He rubbed his thumb over Harry's strong chin, and the man opened his eyes to fix on Severus' face. Tears streaked his cheeks and raced over Severus' fingers. 

"Forgive me," Severus whispered. "Please, forgive me."

Harry froze, eyes wide and shimmering. "You… _what_?"

Severus brushed Harry's tears away and let his hand fall. "I am so sorry, Harry."

"I… don't understand."

Severus wrapped his arms around his waist and paced just ahead. Hiding the truth of his heart had long become second nature, but Harry deserved better than that.

"When I bid you away ten years ago," he said in halting, uncertain tones, "I believed you would find someone better. Someone your family and the public could accept, someone without a target hanging over their head. I hoped you would be happy by now." Severus swallowed a wave of remorse. "I never dreamed you would suffer like this."

"So I'm not good enough to love you, yeah? Just a stupid Gryffindor. It's not as if I know what devotion is or loyalty or…." Harry's voice broke. "You _shattered_ me. And no matter how hard I tried, nothing ever compared—"

"I am so sorry." Severus covered his face with a shaking hand. "I never believed you weren't good enough. I thought _I_ …." He couldn't go on. "Forgive me. I only meant to do what I thought was best for you."

Harry sighed. "Damn Dumbledorian complex."

Severus looked up to see Albus snoozing in his frame—or pretending to, rather. How utterly unsurprising. 

"Dumbledorian?"

"Yeah." Harry glared at the portrait. "Stop pretending to sleep, old man. No one is buying your act."

Severus smirked behind his hand. _'Way to call him out, my little lion.'_

Albus gave a fake snort and opened his eyes. "Harry? How lovely to see you—"

"Save it, old man. You knew I was here the entire time. You also know I have zero patience these days for your manipulative bullshite. Just stow it and act like a halfway decent human being for once."

 _Merlin_. Severus hadn't expected _that_ level of antagonism. By the expression on Albus' face, however, the portrait _had_. Interesting.

"Being a painting does get rather boring, Harry. One tends to have a greater need for rest and—"

"Useless mind games? Pathetic attempts to control everyone around you while the world goes on and leaves you behind? Futile ruses to hide what you really are from your pet pawns?"

Albus pouted. Actually _pouted_. 

Severus should have called his arse out on the carpet years ago. Merlin, he wished he had popcorn for this show. Actually….

"Winky?"

The house elf appeared with a bow. "Yes, Master Severus?"

"Please fetch me some popcorn to eat while I watch Harry dissect Albus like a flobberworm on a card."

Harry choked, snorted, and burst into full laughter. "Merlin, Severus. Really?"

Winky appeared bearing a giant bowl of buttery, golden fluff. Severus pointedly grabbed a handful and popped a few kernels into his mouth. Harry gave another round of delighted laughter, and Severus thought he could get used to the sound of his happiness.

"You brilliant man, you." Harry set the popcorn on Severus' desk. "Thank you, Winky. It's good to see you again."

Winky beamed and hugged his legs. "Winky is missing Master Harry in the kitchens, but Master Severus is giving Winky a home and making me happy again, so I is being content."

Harry squeezed her shoulder. "Glad to hear it. Severus and I need to talk now, though, so we'll catch up later."

Winky beamed wider and left after a gushing farewell.

"You really do have a way with house elves," Severus mused. 

"Strange how much treating those in our care with kindness and respect can do, isn't it?"

Harry looked at neither the current or former headmaster when he said it, but by Albus' minute flinch, both had felt the sting on that remark. 

Severus dropped his head. "Harry… you are right. Forgive me. I only meant to take care of you."

Harry gave him a sad smile, and in that moment, Severus knew he was forgiven. 

Albus, however….

"And that's exactly what I meant by a Dumbledorian complex." Harry crossed his arms over his chest. "To some extent, in those days, I was a child who needed guidance, but neither of you did that. You played god with my life. You made decisions for me that should have been my own to make. You dictated every aspect of my life, even down to ordering me to die for the greater good, and it all comes down to Dumbledore."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Not Riddle?"

"Oh, he tried to dictate my life and death, too. He was just patently bad at it. Dumbledore succeeded where he failed, and managed to convince everyone else around me to manipulate my life as he saw fit, too. All for the greater good of course. That's what I meant by a Dumbledorian complex."

Severus had to admit, the term fit now that he understood the logic behind it.

"Harry," Albus cajoled, "I never intended to use you so badly."

The repetition of Severus' own words made Severus' eyelid twitch and Harry's jaw tighten with fury.

"I only wanted to keep you safe."

"Until the _proper moment_ , yeah?"

Both Severus and Albus flinched. Harry laid a hand on Severus' arm. 

"I'm not angry at you."

"You should be," Severus whispered.

"Yeah, well, the fact that you're both honest and man enough to admit you were wrong just went a long way towards healing that."

Severus nodded and tentatively pressed his hand over Harry's. "I am sorry. I never wanted to…."

"I know. I saw how much it devastated you. It's all right."

Severus squeezed Harry's hand. "Thank you."

Harry nodded. "I… I forgive you." He turned a blank stare on Albus. "This arsehole, however, still hasn't ever found the bollocks to admit he was wrong _or_ apologise—"

"Well, I _am_ sorry, Harry. I—"

" _And_ ," Harry went on over the old man's ingratiating attempt at easing his guilty conscience, "I wouldn't believe him for a second if he did."

Albus pouted again. Severus smirked and nibbled at his popcorn, much to Harry's obvious amusement. 

"You believed Severus," Albus said with a huff.

"Severus played god in my life and dictated my every move _on your orders_. Unlike you, he really believed he was doing what had to be done to keep me alive. He fought and mourned for me, for what your cruelty cost him, and apologised for it in the end. Even as he lay dying, he tried to apologise."

Severus shuddered at the memory. Gods, what a terrible night that had been. If Harry hadn't come when he had and thought to call for Fawkes, Severus certainly would not have survived. Harry squeezed his hand.

"You okay?"

Severus nodded. "Go on."

"Right." Harry turned on the former headmaster again. "As I said, Severus mourned what you forced him to do to me, but you? _You_ just wanted your little child weapon to be strong enough to survive until it was time to cast me aside like a broken toy. You never mourned me or fought what had to be done, because you never saw me as a human being in the first place. From the moment Severus came to you as a spy, Harry Potter ceased to exist in your eyes and the _Chosen One_ was born." 

Albus frowned. "But, Harry, sacrifices had to be made if we were to survive, and—"

"And sacrificing Harry's life was never your choice to make, Albus." 

Severus banished the popcorn and stood at Harry's side. He had watched him fight from the sidelines too long. This time, he would stand with him. 

"You never had the right to take Harry from his parents and place him with abusive guardians, whether you were able to hoodwink everyone around you into believing you did or not. You never had the right to raise him as your weapon, and Harry has always been brave enough to do what must be done."

Severus turned to Harry, who was watching him with wide, tear-rimmed eyes and cerulean streaks of wonder in his aura. "We should have trusted you, Harry. We should have _asked_ you. We should have protected you from the monsters inside the blood wards as much as we did from those without. I… for every way I failed to stand by you in the past, Harry, for all the decisions I made for your life without your input or consent, I am truly sorry."

He was. Gods forgive him, but he had made so many terrible mistakes.

And turning away a man devoted enough to love him still after ten years of heartbreak… that had to be the worst mistake of all. He had thrown it away, the chance to have something beautiful, and it was too late now to get it back. Harry would never trust him again.

Still, perhaps there might be a chance to salvage some kind of rapport—and make up for some of the pain he had caused this man. That would have to be enough.

"Severus…." Harry blinked tears down his cheeks and nodded. "Thank you. I forgive you."

Severus took his hands. "I… thank you."

Harry smiled in spite of his tears. "Gods, I… needed this. I don't know how long this wound has bled but… gods, it feels better now."

"I will not let you bleed again."

"I know. Shh. It's okay. You're forgiven."

Severus slumped in relief, but Albus interrupted the poignant moment with an _apology_ of his own.

"I, too, am sorry, Harry. I—"

Harry scoffed. "Yeah, _sure_. You're sorry I figured you out, that's all."

"Indeed." Severus ignored the portrait's sputtering. "Harry, I find I would prefer to speak to you in friendlier quarters, with no sociopaths present."

"Severus! How could you—"

Harry snarled at the old man. "Oh, just go back to sleep, you senile old arsehole! We're both done with your lies." He looked to Severus. "What did you have in mind?"

"My living room, if you are able to trust me so far."

A pink flush spread over Harry's cheeks. Merlin, he was beautiful. 

Yes, Severus had screwed up royally. _Damn, damn, damn_.

"Or… perhaps the former potions professor's office," he said, fearful Harry would turn him away altogether otherwise. "They are… no longer teaching here."

Harry smirked. "No one is able to live up to the bar you set, hm?"

Severus huffed. "You have _no_ idea."

Harry gave a soft laugh. "I can imagine." His mirth faded, and soft pink streaks of hope mixed with the baby blue of shyness and uncertainty in his aura. "Your living room is fine." He gave Severus a wan smile. "No sense travelling across the school when I'm already here, yeah?"

Severus recognised a protective backpedal when he heard one, but he let it slide. "Indeed."

"Oh, there's no need to go," Albus said. "I will just make myself useful elsewhere."

Harry gave Severus a wry look. "Your quarters, then?"

"Yes. Please follow me."

He motioned to the back of the office, and a staircase formed around the circular room and through the portraits. Albus gave a huff of annoyance to be relegated to the shadows to make room and promptly pretended to sleep.

"Just stay like that from now on," Harry muttered as he passed. "No one wants to hear your bullshite anymore."

Severus snickered under his breath at Albus' disgruntled expression. "Yes, I would prefer that as well. Come, Harry."

He started up the staircase and placed his hands in his pockets to conceal a nervous tremor. It was no good getting his hopes up. He had broken Harry's heart long ago, and Harry had just proved he had a long memory for undeserved pain and who had caused it. Still, the fact that Harry had trusted him this far filled him with a sense of fluttery anticipation. 

_No_. He couldn't let his heart carry his head away. Harry deserved better.

He forced himself calm and pressed his palm to his door. If Harry noticed his fingers shaking, he gave no sign.

Severus looked at Harry as he murmured the password. " _Pietas_." Devotion. He had never forgotten his vow to this man and never would. From then on, he would keep it honestly.

Harry's aura turned pink and gold, like the sunrise, and his eyes filled with soft warmth. "Yeah. Suits you."

Severus had no idea how true that statement was, but he acknowledged the complement with a nod and waved Harry into his quarters.

He wouldn't fail this man again.

* * *

Harry had never expected to hear an apology from Severus, much less to receive an explanation and a tacit promise to stand by him from then on out. Being invited into Severus' home as well _and_ Severus' trust with his password into his quarters felt like some kind of fairy story come to life. 

Harry almost snorted at his own thoughts. Severus was as far from a fairy as it was possible to be, and real life didn't work like that anyway. The thought reminded him of his purpose there, and Harry shoved all thoughts of rekindling anything between them to the back of his mind. Whether he could trust Severus with his heart this time or not, he hadn't come to discuss the past. 

He was Ron and Hermione's last hope.

Severus led Harry to a tastefully elegant living room and motioned to the sofa, a simple black number situated around a blue rug and glass coffee table with matching armchairs on either side. He sat on one end of the sofa, and Severus paused an instant before taking the armchair positioned adjacent to Harry.

"Welcome to my humble abode," he said in a voice tinged with something like shyness.

Merlin, was he really worried Harry might not like it here? The place looked like a house out of a magazine, all clean lines and simple, but elegant furnishings in a modern style. It screamed Severus to him, and Harry loved anything that reminded him of Severus, even if he had often cursed that trait in himself.

"It's lovely. Thank you for trusting me here."

Severus moved as if he wanted to take Harry's hand but thought better of it. "You are welcome here. I… you should have been welcome sooner, but…."

Harry took his hand after all. Couldn't resist though he called himself ten kinds of fool even as his fingers closed around Severus'.

"It's all right. The past is over and nothing will bring it back. I'm not here to make you miserable over past mistakes anyway."

Severus hesitated, then guided their joined hands to rest on his knee. Harry fought a fiery blush and struggled to focus on his purpose.

"I heard something to that effect in my office a few moments ago. What do you need from me?"

Harry clung to his hand. "I know it's a long shot, and I… I don't want you to feel bad if you can't help—Merlin knows I expected to be thrown out on my ear a long time ago anyway—"

"No." Severus rubbed his thumb over Harry's knuckles. "I will never hurt you so badly again."

Harry's breath hitched. "You… really?"

The look of pain and honest remorse in Severus' eyes made Harry regret his words as soon as they left his mouth.

"I'm sorry." He steeled his courage and brushed his thumb over Severus' palm. "Thank you, Severus. That… means a lot to me."

Severus shook his head. "Don't apologise. I have given you many reasons to doubt me and few to foster faith in me. Perhaps, in time, I can repair that, but I do not blame you for being cautious now."

Harry swallowed back a wave of fierce emotion and clung to Severus' hand. Severus wanted to _fix_ it. He was holding Harry's hand and promising to let him stay. Oh, gods. Maybe Harry still had a chance to make something of this after all.

 _Later_ , after he did his duty by his honorary siblings.

"Y-yeah. I… I'd like that." He took a deep breath. "But back to what I was saying, I know there mightn't be anything you can do, but I have to ask. I… there's no one else left, Severus. If you can't help… then it's over. I'll lose them both."

Severus stilled. "Madam Granger-Weasley. You are asking me to help with her."

"Yeah. Like I said, I know it's a long shot, but if there's anything you can do…."

Severus swallowed hard. "I am not a physician, Harry."

"I-I know." Harry stared at his knees. "They're the only family I have left, Severus. Ron, Hermione, and my little niece. They're all I have left in the world, and I would give anything, _anything_ to save them, but I… I've run out of options. I've tried every expert, every doctor and healer I can find, but they've all just… given up before they started. Ron even offered to attempt to abort and try again later, but Hermione wouldn't hear of it, and none of the doctors could do it anyway."

"One cannot abort a magical foetus past the middle of the second trimester without also killing the mother, Harry, and without her consent, it would be seen as feticide and rape regardless." Severus shuddered. "I cannot personally kill a fetus even if she had consented. It goes against the core of my being."

"You can't bear it." Harry rubbed Severus' hand. "It's all right. We don't want to give up on her baby either, and it's too far gone even if we did. Any day now, they'll both be…." He choked off and covered a sob. "And I'll lose Ron, too. He won't recover from this. He's lost without her."

Severus took a shaky breath. "Harry, no cure, no treatment exists."

"I-I know, but you're so brilliant. You… couldn't invent something?"

Severus closed his eyes. "Not in time to save them, no."

Harry let his head fall and despair drown him. "So that's it then. There's really nothing to be done. They… they're all I've got, and in a few days… it'll all be gone."

He leaned into his hands and wept. Damn. He hadn't wanted to break down like this, but the loss of hope felt like a javelin through his chest. Gods help him, how would he go on with Hermione and his goddaughter dead and Ron halfway there?

Warm hands settled on his shoulders, then a slim, shaking form swept him into slender arms. Harry shuddered against Severus' chest. 

"I… I don't know how I'm going to go on without them."

Severus tensed, then moved back with a little sound of grief. Harry watched, confused and drowning in pain, as Severus stood and paced, his face buried in his hand. 

"You have no idea what you have asked of me."

Harry winced. "I… no. It's not your fault, Severus. I just… I would give anything. _Anything_ to save them, and I can't. I just… can't."

Severus made another despairing sound and shuddered hard. "Harry, there… there may be _one_ way, but…."

Harry leapt up, shock and wonder ringing through him. "W-what? Oh, gods, how?"

"The price is too high. I cannot begin to ask it of you."

Harry swallowed a bolt of terror, steeled himself, and grabbed Severus' hands. "Please. Anything you ask of me, I'll do it."

"You cannot." Severus dropped his head. "The only way is… a life for a life. I cannot ask it of you."

Harry paled. "You mean… someone else would have to die to save them? Or _two_ someones?"

Severus frowned. "As of now, their lives are so intricately intertwined, fate regards them as a single entity. Only one life would be required, but…."

"But you're still talking about killing someone else to save Hermione and her baby." Harry choked on tears. "They would never forgive me, but… maybe… if I offered my own life?" The mere idea terrified him, but he _had_ said he would give anything. Even his life if it came to it.

Severus shuddered and clutched Harry into his arms. "No. No. I cannot sacrifice you."

"If I sacrificed myself…?"

"Even if I could bear the thought, it goes against my vows in the worst way, Harry. I would kill all four of us in the attempt."

Harry's heart twisted in grief and horror. "So… so it's murder someone else or watch them die."

Severus shuddered. "I…." He swallowed hard. "It does not necessarily have to be murder. To give your friend and her infant their lives back, I must claim a life in return, but that claim does not have to come in the form of killing."

"Then… what? I don't understand. You can have my life. I don't mind."

"Again, it violates my vows to claim your life in any manner." Severus covered his face in shaking hands. "But there is yet an option left to us. One that leaves everyone living and free."

Harry tugged Severus' hands away and held them to his heart. Severus had streaks of tears on his face, and his eyes held as much pain and regret as Harry had ever suffered these past ten years.

"Severus, tell me."

"You will never forgive me."

Harry cupped the man's face and brushed tears away. "We both know what it means to make hard choices to save those we love. Tell me my options, Severus. If it really is too much to ask, then we'll deal with it as it comes, but I will never blame you for trying to help the only way you can."

Severus swallowed hard and gave him a tentative nod. He pressed his face into Harry's palms as if memorising the feel of them around his cheeks, and Harry's heart thundered. 

"A… a child."

That… hadn't been what Harry had half expected him to say.

"What?"

Severus stepped back, eyes haunted. "If… if you offered me the life of your firstborn. Not to kill them, not to harm, but to raise as my own, then… then I can save your friend and her child. It is… the only way I know of."

Harry choked. "You… want me to give you my baby? A baby I don't have?"

Severus dropped his head. "I am sorry. If there were any other way…."

Harry whimpered. "Even if it was possible, I can't have a child fast enough to save her."

"The contract is enough."

"Contract? Severus, what in Merlin's name kind of magic _is_ this? I've never heard of dark spells like this, and, believe me, I know dark magic."

Severus turned away. "It isn't dark." He wrapped his arms around himself. "If I… show you what kind of magic I am speaking of, can I trust you to keep my secrets?"

Harry laid a tentative hand on Severus' shoulder. Severus leaned into his touch, and Harry found himself stepping close and holding the man from behind.

"Show me. I won't hurt you. I can't. That ship sailed twelve years ago."

Severus jolted. " _Twelve_? But…."

"I never quite got over my fancy of the Half-Blood Prince, you know. Even when I realised he was far from perfect."

Severus froze. "You… fancied me even then?"

Harry screwed up his courage and kissed the base of Severus' neck, just visible under his hair. A tremor spread through Severus, and he leaned back in Harry's arms. Harry kissed his soft skin again and trailed one hand up the man's shaking body to rest over Severus' racing heart. 

_'Real. It's real this time. He feels it as much as I do.'_

And maybe, just maybe, that gave him a chance.

Severus shivered again as Harry brushed his lips against the base of his ear.

"Oh, gods."

"It feels good, Severus?"

"Mhn. It would feel better if I didn't know every bit of affection you ever held for me will vanish when you learn the truth of me."

Harry cradled the shaking man close against his body. "Trust me, Sev. Remember what you said in that office not half an hour ago and trust me to know my own heart."

Severus stilled, then went lax in Harry's arms. "It makes no difference. You will have to leave me if you are able to follow through—it matters little if you still care or not, but… very well. I will trust you, for as long as it lasts."

Harry kissed his neck and held him close until the despair in his posture eased a bit. "Sev. Show me."

Severus jolted as if struck, dropped his head, and moved away. "As you wish." 

Harry had expected him to retreat after a book or a potion somewhere. Instead, violet light surrounded his form and faded, revealing changes that left Harry reeling.

Six pale golden wings, something like flowing bits of fabric rather than anything meant to support him in flight, spread from Severus' shoulders. His hair had grown to his waist and sported a high sheen that made Harry's hands itch to touch. His skin had a slight violet hue, and, as he turned to look at Harry with amethyst-tinted eyes full of fear and sorrow, Harry gasped. Dear gods. Harry still saw Severus in his face, but his sharp angles and hooked proboscis had softened into strong features and an acquiline nose. Elegant and refined and damn beautiful. _Merlin_ , Harry loved the look of him.

Fae. Severus was bloody _fae_.

Had he thought this felt like a fairy story? Apparently it _was_.

How bloody ironic.

Harry swallowed hard and stepped closer. "You're so beautiful."

Severus' cheeks flushed crimson. "I have kept that a closely guarded secret since I was fifteen. Your godfather broke my nose then, and I used the injury to hide more of my true appearance. It drew too much attention. Too much pain."

Harry took a moment to parse that statement and its tacit meaning. "My dad. He was jealous because you were so beautiful and he wanted Mum for himself."

"That is not the story they passed around after I left Hogwarts, but yes. That is, essentially, the truth."

"What a bloody _wanker_." Harry shook his head. "I'm sorry he was such an arse to you."

"Don't be. It is far in the past. I only meant to explain to you why I have hidden more than my wings these thirty years."

"You didn't want to be hurt for it again."

Severus gave him a pained smile. "And, if I ever found a mate, I wanted them to love me for more than my allure."

Harry tentatively tucked Severus' hair behind his ear, revealing a short point at the tip. "Hm. Your ears are adorable." And gods help him, he wanted to nibble those sweet tips and see if he could make Severus' composure break.

Severus flushed brighter. "I… oh. Your feelings are unchanged, then?"

"If ten years without you and with the entire wizarding world throwing themselves at me didn't change me, why would you imagine seeing the true you under your masks would have any better luck?"

Severus' eyes filled with terrible pain. "I half wish it had."

"Why? I can tell you…." Harry stroked his cheek, and Severus leaned into his touch with a shiver. "It's a mutual thing, I can see it, so why would you say you want me to stop loving you?"

Severus blinked tears down his face. "Because if you expect to save your friend, there is no other choice. You must have a child born in love and give them to me. A life for a life is fae law."

Harry caressed Severus' face. "That's all you need then? A baby I love to be given to you to raise?"

Severus stared, bemused. " _All_ I need? Yes, Harry, only your _firstborn child_! But you would have to also love its mother for the baby to be born safely, and so, in saving Hermione, I will lose you."

Harry brought him into his arms, heart bursting in relief and hope. "You want me, then? You want me to love you?"

Severus shuddered and pressed kisses into Harry's throat. "Gods, yes. I was a fool to send you away." 

"I'm here, pet. Shh. It'll be all right."

"No. Nothing about this is all right."

Harry slid his hand into Severus' hair. "Wait. And you said the contract is enough? That all I have to do is give you parental rights to my firstborn, a child I love, by a partner I love. Does it matter who bears it?"

"No," said a desolate Severus.

Harry lifted the fae's chin. "Shh. It'll be okay. Can I stay with you after the baby is born? If I also help you take care of the baby, will it void the magic?"

"N-no, so long as it is mine, but it will not work, Harry. You must love the child's mother. And if you love her, you will no longer have any desire to stay with me."

Harry cupped his face. "Severus… love, I've never wanted anyone but you. That's never going to change."

Severus leaned into his touch. "Will you kiss me, just once, before I lose you?"

Harry tugged him close. "It won't be once. Watch. It's going to be okay."

Severus' smile held worlds of grief. "As you say."

"Trust me, love." 

Severus closed his eyes and gave a shuddering sigh. "I do. You are the only person I have ever trusted with my true race. I _do_ trust you."

"Then we'll be fine." Harry tipped Severus' chin down and surged up on his toes. "I love you," he whispered against Severus' lips. "I've loved you since I was sixteen years old, and I always will."

Severus gave a soft murmur of pleasure and pain and brought Harry into a firm, emotional kiss. Harry wept for sheer relief, Severus wept from fear of losing him, and their tears mingled on their cheeks and tinged their kisses. 

Severus gasped as Harry slipped his tongue between his lips and tasted his kiss for the first time. Oh, _gods_. He tasted of honey and wine. Harry clutched the back of Severus' head and dragged his waist flush against his body. Mm. Yes. Just like that. His tongue stroking Severus' and Severus' fierce erection rubbing his hip. Yes. _Merlin_ , yes. 

Severus pulled back with a gasp. "No. I… no more. I won't be able to let you go."

Harry held the fae's face and brushed away a new wave of tears. "You said you trusted me, love. I know what to do. Believe in me, this once. Please. I promise you it's going to be okay."

Severus blinked hard and opened his mouth, his eyes full of terrible pain.

"Please," Harry whispered. "Please."

Severus slumped against him. "I don't want to lose you."

Harry stroked Severus' hair and ears. "Trust me."

"I… v-very well. I… will."

Harry kissed the top of Severus' head. "Make up a contract then. You have full parental rights for my firstborn child, a baby I love born to a person I love, any person of my choosing, in exchange for saving Hermione's life and that of her unborn child. Will that fulfil the terms of fae law?"

Severus nodded without removing his head from Harry's shoulder. "So how do you say it will be well? I… see no way to salvage this."

Harry lifted the fae's chin and kissed him softly. "Trust me."

Severus sighed and leaned into his touch. "Yes." He summoned a sheet of parchment and writing supplies and wrote out a contract for their agreement. His eyes held deep pain and fear as he signed it and passed it to Harry, but also the desperate wish to believe in Harry and the slightest thread of hope. It was enough.

Harry read over the contract to make sure it wouldn't void his plans and gave the fae a smile when he finished. "It's going to be okay, Sev." He signed his name and passed it back to Severus. "Okay, is that it?"

Severus closed his eyes and took a shuddering breath. "You… you are sure, Harry?"

"Yes, love. Do it."

Severus buried his head in Harry's shoulder, clung to him for an instant, then stepped back. His eyes glowed with bright violet light, and swirls of potent magic rushed around him in a fabulous display. Harry moved back, watching as the magic swelled, turned golden, and dissipated.

"It is done," Severus said with a pant. "Hermione and her infant are safe. When you return to them, you will find her smiling again as if she was never ill. She will make a miraculous recovery and give birth to a healthy infant daughter in three months' time, provided you… you keep your end of the bargain."

"Oh, thank _God_." Harry sank against Severus in relief. "Thank you, love. Thank you so damn much. I…." Emotion choked him, and Harry found himself releasing the stress of the past two months in Severus' arms, breaking down in sheer relief of the devastation that had plagued him for so long. Severus held him with shaking arms and buried kisses in Harry's hair, silky wings wrapped around them like a blanket of light.

When his tears quieted, Harry realised Severus had carried him to the sofa and set him in his lap. Oh. Yes, he liked it here.

Severus trembled under him, no doubt terrified of the answers Harry had yet to give.

"Harry, shh. I… I am here, pet."

"Mm." Harry cupped Severus' face. "Sorry for losing control like that. It's been a miserable two months—well, ten years, really—but it's over now. It's going to be okay."

"Explain. Please."

Harry smiled and kissed him lightly. "When do we start?"

Severus stared, bemused. "I… do not follow."

"Severus, I want to have the baby with _y_ _ou_. I've never loved anyone but you, and I never will."

Severus blinked hard. "But I am male."

"Yes, I know."

"And a female is required to have a child."

Harry grinned. "Not if you're, apparently, an ancient race of angelic descent with the magic of life itself in your veins."

"But I am fae, not an angel."

Harry grinned. "I'm not."

Severus' breath hitched. "Are you saying…?"

"I can bear for you? Yeah. We researched everything we could think of to save Hermione, and since the blood wards never protected me from the other death eaters, Ron thought there must be more to my ability to survive death than a simple blood rite. We researched my family and powers and found out he was right. I'm half angel, so Riddle couldn't kill me. Nothing with an impure soul can. 

"We thought maybe I could save her or be a surrogate when we found out, but it was just too far along. And I don't have powers to alter fate like that anyway, as it's technically classed as dark magic. Darker than an angel can touch anyway, at least short of dishing out justice to criminals and enemies of life. But you _do_ have the power, so it's all right."

Severus gave a stifled mewl and clutched Harry close. "You… you can give me a child? Without anyone else involved?"

"Yeah. Will that still fulfil your contract, love?"

Severus grabbed him into a fiery kiss. "I will bloody well never doubt your ingenuity again, my angel."

Harry smiled and wrapped his arms around Severus' neck. "So it's going to be okay? Hermione and her baby will pull through, and we can be a family together to give you the baby you need to make the magic work?"

Severus gave him a sly smile. "Tonight."

"Hm?"

"We can start tonight, if you are ready."

"Bloody hell, yes." Harry pressed Severus into the sofa and kissed him for all he was worth.

* * *

Severus reeled in Harry's arms. A baby. Harry wanted to be his mate and have a baby with him. He hadn't lost his mate to his foolish fears, nor to Hermione's cruel fate. No, now Hermione and her little one would live and be happy.

And so would Severus and his little family.

He dragged Harry closer, guiding him to straddle his lap, and kissed him fiercely. 

"Ah. Mm." Harry rocked forwards, rubbing a heavy erection against Severus' groin. 

"Oh, gods." Severus arched up, pushing their hips together, and dropped one hand to Harry's bum.

"Mm, Severus. Sure we can't start now?"

"Not… ghn. In the middle of the school day, no."

Harry rocked atop him, eyes vibrant and electric, lips parted and red. "Should I stop, then?"

Severus growled. "Don't you dare."

Harry grinned and pinned Severus to the back of the sofa by his wrists, and a low moan escaped the fae. Gods, but he _needed_ to be touched like this, by someone strong enough to hold him down, but gentle enough to do so in love. Harry would be a perfect mate.

Well, he had known that ten years ago, but then, he had made all the wrong decisions. This time, they would do things _right_. 

Harry rolled his hips against Severus and murmured against his ear. "Been dreaming of having you like this. Pinned under me and loving it. Writhing at my every touch. Wanna ride you until you come."

" _Harry_."

"Yes, like that. Say my name just like that."

Severus whimpered. "Harry. Yes, I… oh." He groaned and rocked up at a hard thrust against him. "Please. Has been so long since I felt pleasure."

Harry murmured against his ear, "How long, love?"

"Ah, oh. E-eleven years."

Harry stilled and sat up. "Eleven…?"

Severus flushed and dropped his head. "Since I found my mate and the one I wanted always and let him go like a bloody fool."

"Sev… all this time?"

"Always," he whispered.

"Oh, love. You mean the doe in your memories…?"

"My patronus shifted sometime prior to the scene you witnessed. I had to send a routine message to the Order and… well, to say that her appearance shocked me would be an understatement. Then, I saw you by the lake, I watched your struggle to survive, and I knew I would never be whole without you."

"Oh, Sev… and you told me anyway. About my scar." 

"I didn't want to survive if you didn't. I… protected you as best as I could. I fully expected to die in your place when he killed you. I never understood why I did not." Severus nuzzled Harry's throat where the horcrux had scarred him. "Your abilities saved us both that night, I think."

Harry tipped Severus' head back and kissed him, a slow, gentle exploration and sharing of deep bonds. "I love you, Severus. I love you so very much."

Severus mewled and kissed Harry with the same gentle devotion. "I love you as well, my angel."

Harry blinked tears down his face and threaded his fingers through Severus'. "Marry me, pet. Say you'll marry me, bond to me, be my mate forever."

Severus gasped. "You are asking so soon?"

" _Soon_? We've been dancing around it for upwards of eleven years each, Severus. I say we've wasted too damn much time as is."

Severus gave him a shy smile. "You… honestly want me for your mate?"

"I wanted to marry you a long time ago. There's never been anyone else and there never will be."

Severus' vision shaded violet, a sign his magic was glowing in his eyes. Harry's eyes shone, too.

"Yes. Gods, yes. I cannot wait."

Harry kissed him softly. "This weekend? At my home? It's beautiful right now with the whole orchard in bloom."

Severus kissed him fiercely. "Yes. Under the boughs in the old ways."

"I expected nothing less bonding to a fae. Will you show your true face that day for me?"

"Your family will be there."

"And when they know you saved 'Mione, they'll guard you and welcome you as ferociously as any Weasley."

Severus made a face. "Dear gods. Molly will be my _mother-in-law_."

Harry let out a bright laugh. "Yes, yes. You've been sucked in."

The idea of being _sucked_ made his body surge. Harry grinned and rocked into him. 

"Maybe you'd like that? Me taking you into my mouth?"

"Sweet Merlin, yes."

Harry scooted back off his lap. "I… haven't done this before. Be gentle, please."

Severus stroked his hair. "Yes. Always."

Harry kissed his wrist and nuzzled Severus' groin. Severus arched up and moaned, and whimpered at the feel of Harry's hands on his zip.

"Please, please," he breathed, and then his pants and trousers dropped, and the cool air met his straining erection. Harry took him in hand, and Severus gasped and rocked into his palm.

"Gods. You're even gorgeous here." A gentle lick teased the tip, and Severus threw his head back with a moan. 

"Harry…."

Harry licked around his head, tracing the shape of him with a curious tongue, and Severus had to fight hard against the urge to thrust. 

"You taste sweet somehow. Not sugar-sweet, but sweeter than I expected."

"Fae… mhn… not like humans."

"I see." 

Harry licked a bead of wetness away from the tip, and Severus grabbed the cushions so he wouldn't grab Harry's hair.

"Ah, gods, please."

Harry moaned softly and took the tip into his mouth, then slowly slid down his shaft. Somewhere through a bone-melting inferno of pleasure, Severus summoned the presence of mind to press a hand under Harry's chin and stop him from going too far.

"Don't… ghn… push too hard. Just… fuck. That is goo—oh, Merlin, yes!"

Harry bobbed up and down, experimenting with different pressure and suction, and Severus lost himself to ecstasy. He held his hips as still as he could so as not to ruin this for his mate and rode the waves of pleasure higher and higher with each stroke.

"H-Harry, close."

Harry pulled off and murmured against his quivering head, "Come then. Let me taste you."

" _Fuck_." Severus could resist no longer and buried his hands in Harry's wild mane. "Please, please."

Harry paused, but when Severus only held him without pushing, he dropped again and took Severus deep. Severus yelped and struggled not to thrust, but he couldn't help rocking a little.

Gods, nothing had ever felt so wonderful before.

"I… so close…."

Harry dragged his thumb down Severus' bollocks and rubbed, and when that made Severus cry out, he cupped them and rolled them against Severus' body.

"Harry!" 

His angel guided Severus' thighs apart and his trousers down to his knees. Severus gasped and arched at the slight brush of a fingertip along his perineum. _Yes_. Merlin, yes. Anticipation built inside him as Harry dropped lower with every stroke. The first gentle circle around his opening sent waves of heat and desire crashing through him. 

"Lubricus," he gasped out, and whined as Harry's slick fingertip slid inside. "Please, yes, more. Oh, oh." 

He spread his legs wide and rocked down, and as the firm heat of his mate's finger inside him set him arching and pleading for more, another firm suck proved his undoing. He arched back and cried Harry's name, and cried out again as his pleasure crested. Wave after wave rocked him down to his soul, and he rode his climax out in breathless cries and helpless thrusts into his mate's strong hands and hot mouth.

"Harry, Harry…."

Gentle kitten licks lapped up the last drops of his pleasure, and Severus groaned as the finger inside him pressed deep before it withdrew.

"You're bloody beautiful when you come," Harry panted. "So hot."

Severus growled and grabbed Harry into a fierce kiss. "Want you inside me."

"That… oh. Won't help us conceive." He whimpered as Severus undid his zip. "And it's… Merlin… still the middle of a school day."

"Don't care." Severus slid Harry's trousers down. "Waited too bloody long. Want you in me."

Harry groaned as Severus stroked his hard shaft. "Won't it hurt?"

"Not for fae." Severus banished his pants and trousers and turned onto his hands and knees. "Take me, please. Need you desperately."

"Shite, baby." Harry kissed Severus' cheek and murmured, "All right, but not like this, not when it might hurt."

"Fae don't…." Severus whined and panted as two slick fingers slid inside him, slow and gentle. "Ghn. Don't need to be prepared."

"Humour me. Besides, I like the sight of you writhing on my fingers."

Severus arched at a deep thrust and brush against his prostate. "Ah, gods. Yes, _there_."

"Mm. Gorgeous." 

Severus gasped out a laugh. "H-how can you say that with your fingers— _oh_ , gods—in my arse?" 

"I can say it because it's true. God, I love the feel of you inside." Harry plunged deep, wresting a soft cry from Severus. He rubbed his mate's back and slowed his fingers. "Did it hurt, love?"

"Harry, trust me to tell you if I am in pain. Ah. Please, don't stop."

"All right. Sorry, love. Just don't want to hurt you."

"Mhn. I know. Just… more."

"Okay, love. I'll take care of you."

Harry made love to the bases of Severus' wings as he fingered him, and Severus gasped at the intense sensation of gentle kisses and licks against the one part of him no one had ever touched. 

"H-Harry… gods, need you. Please."

Harry stroked Severus' hip and kissed his shoulder. "You're ready?"

"I was ready ten minutes ago. Merlin, please."

"All right, love. I have you."

Slowly, Harry withdrew his fingers and slid something much more satisfying inside. "Oh, gods. Sev…."

Severus arched and pressed back until Harry had no more to give. Harry gasped and gave a strangled yelp. 

"Shite. You okay?"

"Move, already, Potter, before I put you in detention for dawdling!"

Harry gave a breathless laugh and set a slow, loving pace that made Severus burn and melt and glow all at once. 

"Harry… _please_. Harder, damn it."

Harry gasped out his name and drove him into the cushions, and _yes_. Bloody hell, just like that. 

Severus registered the sounds of his voice crying out beyond all control. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought he must have forgotten something… something important, but he couldn't begin to recall it with Harry taking him apart from the inside out. He yelped at a series of kisses against his wings timed perfectly with several sharp thrusts right where he needed them most, and keened as bliss built higher and higher in his core.

Close.

So close.

"Come for me," Harry panted. "Want to… oh gods, feel you come."

Severus whimpered and rocked back, lost to everything but the tide of their pleasure. He cried out at a surge of heat through his veins, and white fire washed him away. Quicksilver rushed through him with a burst of warmth inside, and Harry cried out, too.

"Mother of Merlin," Harry panted. "Why in the bloody hell did we wait so long?"

Severus gave a breathless laugh. "Worst decision I ever made."

Harry chuckled and leaned against him, gasping. "Well, we're just going to have to make up for it now. You still have to get me up the duff."

"It is _hardly_ 'up the duff' if we are bonded."

Harry gave a soft laugh. "True. Gods. I can't wait. I—"

He froze at the sight of a silver visitor in the form of a terrier. The dog cocked his head at them and made a shocked sort of yelp, and Severus couldn't hold back a breathless laugh.

"Mhn. I think I scarred him for life."

Harry eased out of Severus and guided his mate to sit on his lap. "Y-yeah." His hand shook as he petted the dog's head. "It's okay, Oscar. Whatever Ron has to say is safe to repeat in front of Severus."

The dog gave Severus a long stare, and Severus knew he was being tested. 

"I love him," Severus murmured. "I love Harry with all of me. I have for over a decade. I will harm neither you nor your caster." 

Harry kissed Severus' hand. "We're engaged, Oscar. I know it seems sudden, but we've loved each other so bloody long. Wasted so much time. I swear you can trust him."

Oscar's tail thumped. He licked Severus' hand, an odd, tingling sensation, and turned to Harry.

" _Mate,_ " the dog said in Ron's voice, the sound thick with tears. " _Oh, gods. Harry, you… you've got to come, now. Hermione's awake! Merlin help me, she's awake and talking and I can't cope with it alone. Gods, I need you."_

Harry dragged Severus into a tear-streaked kiss. "You really saved them. Oh, fuck. Severus, you… oh, thank you. Merlin, thank you."

Severus cradled Harry close and whispered soft words of love against his hair. "I am here. It will be all right now. Shh. They are safe, and we will be happy, too. Go to them."

Harry kissed him softly. "Will you come with me?"

"I… I think, for this moment, I would be in the way. Your friends need you right now, and they will be uncomfortable if I come along as well." Severus swallowed a wave of nervousness. "But if you like, I will stop by after dinner tonight and visit with you."

Harry kissed Severus softly. "Brilliant. Then dress yourself and go back to the office, pet. I had better run."

Severus stroked Harry's cheek. "I will see you later?"

"Yes, love, and we'll start my part of the magic tonight." Harry gave him a shy smile. "I'm really looking forward to it."

"Merlin, so am I, but go now before you get me started again."

Harry nodded. "I love you, and I'll see you later." He tidied and dressed himself with a spell, brushed his lips against Severus', and rushed away.

Severus sank back into the cushions with a huff. Merlin help him, he felt as if he had spent the last few hours in the centre of a cyclone. Everything had changed for him in a matter of hours, and more change waited just beyond the horizon.

"Shite," Severus said with a groan. "I will have to ask Minerva to cover my absences."

And explain them. Merlin help him.

* * *

Harry made sure he was semi-presentable and raced down Severus' stairs. He had expected to meet a glowering Dumbledore, but the sight of a shell-shocked, gaping Minerva McGonagall made him reel back a step.

Oh, dear gods. How was he to explain _this_?

Minerva squeaked, "Mister Potter?"

Harry flushed. "Er… I was just… talking to Severus, and—"

Phineas Nigellus burst into snickers. "A word of caution, Mister Potter? The next time you and the headmaster retreat to his private quarters for a _chat_ , you might want to make sure one of you remembers a silencing charm."

Harry choked. _"Fuck."_

"Apparently so."

Minerva's lips twitched, a snort escaped her, then she burst into hysterical laughter.

"Well bloody done, Potter! Never in my life would I imagine Severus capable of letting go quite to _that_ extent."

Oh, bloody hell. Harry wanted to sink through the floor. "Er… t-thanks? I'm just going to… go. Away. Now. Er… yeah, bye!"

He had never run from a scene so fast in his life.

* * *

Harry's face was still blazing when he arrived at the hospital.

Ron wiped his tears and grabbed him into a hug. "Oh, gods, I'm so glad you're here." He pulled back and gave him a bemused look. "Er… but why are you so red, mate?"

Harry groaned and covered his flaming face. "Don't ask." He dropped his hands at Hermione's giggle.

"You look well-shagged. So?"

Harry coughed. "Dear gods, 'Mione! Two months in a coma and the first words you say to me are that I look _well-shagged_?"

She burst into laughs broken up by tears, and he caught her into a tight hug.

"Oh, gods. I thought… I thought you were gone."

"So… so did I." She broke down on his shoulder, and Harry grabbed a tearful Ron up, too, so bloody _relieved_ he wouldn't have to lose them. He finally had his family all safe and home, and by gods, he couldn't breathe for the sheer relief of it all.

And they needed to understand why.

"L-listen, we need to have a chat." Harry wiped his eyes. "Have the healers already seen her?"

Ron nodded and sniffled. "Said they'll be back in an hour to run more tests once they're done reading this batch."

"Do they have any idea how…?"

"Not a one, mate. We all thought—" Ron choked back tears. "Oh, gods. I… it feels like a dream. A bloody miracle."

Harry cast a heavy silencing charm. "A miracle with an explanation."

Ron wiped his face. "What? You know how? But you weren't even here."

"No. I was with my mate. My _fae_ mate."

Hermione gasped. "Harry. Oh, gods, what did you _do_?"

"Easy, 'Mione. It… worked out rather nicely, actually."

"But what about Snape? You've been hung up on him so long…." Ron gasped at Harry's blush. "Wait. _Wait_. You're telling me…?"

"That Severus is fae, yes, and he saved their lives with a fae contract. And before you panic, Hermione, no, no one is going to die." Harry smirked. "I just gave him parental rights to my firstborn. The firstborn I fully intend to have with him anyway. And he's over the moon about it, too."

Hermione gaped. "But… he… if you're mates, why…?"

"He thought he wasn't good enough for me. He was still waiting to be exonerated then, so he thought his crimes and reputation would drag me down with him. He said he wanted me to be happy, but when I called him on it and he knew I wasn't, he… he asked me to forgive him, explained everything, and ended up crying in my arms when he thought I would have to leave him to fulfil the contract. Turns out he's loved me almost as long as I loved him. His doe… it was for me."

Ron reeled. "Dear Merlin! So… that means you two are all right now?"

"Er… yeah, I hope so considering we're bonding this weekend."

" _What_?" Hermione squeaked. "But it's so fast!"

"Twelve years wasted for me, Hermione," Harry said in a soft voice. "Eleven for him. There's nothing fast about it. We both knew from the start we would never love anyone else. Maybe because we're not human. Not entirely anyway. Either way, it's not fast. We've both been hurting alone for too damn long."

Tears flooded her eyes. "Oh, Harry. This was all so _foolhardy_ and reckless and utterly Gryffindor to the core, but…." She grabbed him into a fierce hug. "Oh, gods, I'm so happy anyway. We're both going to have our happily ever afters after all."

Tears raced down his face. "Yeah. Yeah we are."

Ron held them both for a long moment, then pulled back with a snicker. "Oh, so _that's_ why you were so red. Who caught you, hm?"

Harry groaned. "McGonagall. I have no idea how much she heard, but… bloody hell, mate, she told me _well done_."

Hermione and Ron burst into laughter.

Harry thought he might endure such embarrassment a thousand times just to hear their joy once more. Oh, gods. They would _finally_ be safe. He would _finally_ have his mate, and his siblings, too.

Yes. It would all be okay, soon.

Just like a fairy story. _His_ fairy story.


End file.
